The Culture Seems To Love Gun Violence—is it at war with itself?
Will I be pilloried for mentioning glaring evidence of cultural differences?
The debate about firearms rages on in the United States while gun ownership skyrockets.
Michigan has approximately the same population as Portugal.
In 2019, there were 742 firearm suicide deaths in Michigan, including 31 children and teens (ages 0–19).
According to the latest WHO data published in 2018, Suicide Deaths in Portugal reached 1,450 or 1.61% of total deaths. The age-adjusted Death Rate is 8.62 per 100,000 population ranks Portugal #97 in the world.
In 2019 there were 1,471 suicides in Michigan. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Michigan.
As of Feb. 1, 2018, Michigan had 621,327 active concealed pistol licenses on file — about 8 percent of the state’s adult population.
As of 2021, the number of licensed gun owners in Portugal is reported to be 216,000.
Recent surveys find that about 40% of adult Americans own a gun or live with someone who does. A majority of those gun owners cite protection as their primary reason for owning a gun, and most believe the gun or guns they own make their homes safer. (Why do they need protection?) But research has consistently shown that households with firearms are actually less safe — with markedly higher risks for accidental deaths, suicides, and domestic homicides. AP
I lived in Japan for over 9 years, where the death rate by firearms per 100,000 people is practically nonexistent.
Gun crimes Japan 2011–2020
Published by Statista Research Department, Oct 21, 2021
In 2020, the number of reported cases involving damage caused by the firing of firearms in Japan amounted to 17 cases. This represented an increase compared to the previous year when 13 cases of damage by firearms were reported. The population of Japan was 125.8 million (2020).
Japan’s Homicide by firearm rate was 0.0 (cases per 100,000 population) in 2014.
In 2020, Japan had 4 homicides by firearms. *WORLD DATA ATLAS JAPAN CRIME STATISTICS
I lived in Hong Kong for over 10 years. Between 2003 and 2017, Hong Kong’s homicides by firearm rate remained stable at around 0 cases per 100,000 population.
Hong Kong movies would make you think that there were shootouts every month in Hong Kong. There are shootouts every month in the United States.
In China, the total annual homicides by any means in 2018 amounted to 7,525. The population of China in 2020 was 1.402 billion. (You can find good statistics on worldwide homicide rates from many reputable sources if you want to.)
America seems to think that armed conflicts, no matter how limited, are essential for its security.
THE HUMAN COST OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN:
American service members killed in Afghanistan through April: 2,448.
U.S. contractors: 3,846.
Afghan national military and police: 66,000.
Other allied service members, including from other NATO member states 1,144.
Afghan civilians: 47,245.
Taliban and other opposition fighters: 51,191.
Aid workers: 444.
Journalists: 72.
In 2021 so far there have been 39,654 deaths in the USA due to firearms. Let’s imagine that there has been an average of 12,000 gun-related deaths a year in the USA over the last 20 years. During the 20 year duration of the war in Afghanistan, the death toll in the US due to firearms would amount to 240,000. The total number of deaths during the 20-year war in Afghanistan added up from the above numbers was 171,246.
It seems to me that America is at war with itself.
In a highly armed culture where its leaders seem to encourage violent “police actions” worldwide, what will happen in the United States if its institutions are damaged beyond repair?
I hear people in the United States talking about civil war. Now, please, are you fucking kidding me?
